Monday, February 9, 2015

What is the state?

According to Aristotle's the state is formed to bring about the happiness of its citizens. The state is there to provide for the people, to discipline and accommodate them. However, in today's world where capitalism is becoming the norm of the world, where everything has a price; the state is failing to fulfill its responsibilities.  Where the state was supposed to provide for the people, the people are used at the expense of the state.


States, these days, are no less than corporations who work towards fulfilling their own agendas. Today, the power holds with countries who have the most resources as they can be traded for more and more influence. In the name of 'national interests' states perform activities which are quite different from the values held by its nationals and which can be harmful to its citizens as well. For instance, USA waged a war against Iraq, thousands of American soldiers died in the war. It was not only the soldiers whose lives were destroyed but people who belonged to them, thousands of families. 

1 comment:

Naush said...

I wish you had expanded on the link between capitalism and its detrimental effects on the state. I think you have a specific view on corporations and the state that would be interesting to hear more about.